Mexico and Brazil – Oh, so rich.

If you’ve followed this blog, you will surely know about my passion and love for Brazil. What a lot of the readers may not know is that I was actually born in Mexico and I have great love for my homeland as well.

Mexico and Brazil are very similar and very different at the same time. Although we share the passion for football (or soccer as we call it in North America), for food and for great beaches we don’t share the same language and we are in complete opposite when it comes to bringing international tourism to our vast, beautiful lands.

Brazil and Mexico however, share one more thing. We share something that differentiate us from everyone else. Both countries have magnificent people. I’ve never experienced service as I have in Mexico and not in a servile way. People genuinely want to help, from the taxi driver, to the waiter. And although not to the extent that people want to please in Mexico, Brazil has similar characteristics. Some people may disagree, but in my travels, this has been my experience.

Every time I visit either country, I fly above the vast lush-green lands and ask myself how come our great countries are not the richest in the world. We have fabulous people, amazing natural resources and are blessed with great weather.

A great supply of fruits and vegetables grows, almost unsupervised as the climate is more than ideal. Just throw the seeds and watch them grow. Simply amazing.

There is also a tremendous amount of poverty that in cases leads to violence. But to be honest, I grew in the big city of Mexico so I know how to navigate the streets and I stay alert at all times, so I don’t feel unsafe either in Mexico City or Sao Paulo.

Our countries deserve better. They have been providers of massive wealth for a few and the reality is that the people deserve more.

Both could be exemplary countries. Wealthy they are, but the benefits are not widespread as they should. I don’t advocate socialism or communism and I’ve never been known to be for the left. But as I meet the great people of Brazil and continue to meet new people in Mexico, I wonder why is it that we allow the governing classes to keep the fine people of our countries virtually marginalized. A lot is being said about the booming Brazilian economy one of the largest in the world this days. And Mexico could also be in that position. We have everything to do it, except the will of the few who could be just as rich, while letting our economies and our people flourish.

I, of all people, have no answers to these problems, but as the world advances, it would only be fair that Mexico, as well as Brazil, the countries I love, become rich for all.